The Ball
by imnotjkr
Summary: The head students, Lily and James, have been given permission to organise a February Ball. Lily is then asked out by Snape, much to James' distress! On hiatus. NOT ABANDONED.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I own Harry Potter then Flitwick is Grawp in disguise

**Chapter1**

"So do you want blue or…. James JAMES" Lily clicked her fingers in her fellow head students face. James had been staring at her for five minutes straight and she had only just noticed. He snapped out of it quickly.

"If you could just stop staring at me for five minutes then we could actually get some work done!"

"I was not staring at you. I was ignoring you." James stated, blushing.

"Oh well that explains everything, including the drooling. Oh and by the way I'M DOING DOT TO DOT! Get over yourself James I know exactly what you were doing and it's NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!"

"Well if you weren't yelling and criticizing me every three seconds, then I would have _paid_ _attention_"

"If that's what you wanna believe, Potter" she spat. "Then you can organize the Ball all by yourself. But if it is anything but a success I will not rest until you are incapable of having children! Got it? Good. I'm going to bed."

"Sweet dreams Lily."

He heard her curse as she walked up the stairs. He chuckled to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for all disclaimers.

**Chapter 2**

As always Lily went back and helped James finish the plans for the ball. This was the sixth time it had happened this week. She was pondering it at dinner that evening.

"So there are going to be lots of tables for the students and their dates before the…oh my god."

She turned to Sophie and Amelia. "I don't have a date."

"What?" they both asked, completely clueless.

"I forgot to get a date; I guess I was so wrapped up in everything that I just forgot! I bet James didn't forget a date, but that was he was doing everything but helping me! Oh what am I gonna do the ball's in two days!"

Severus Snape had been walking past at this point and stopped to listen in on this conversation.

He thought to himself "I don't have a date either…I could go with Lily. But she'd never say yes. Although she must be pretty desperate there only two days left to get a date. But what should I say…um…get a hold of yourself Severus just go up to her and ask for a word…a private word. Yeah that's what I'll do."

He walked up to Lily and her friends stunned by his own bravery.

"Um…Evans I mean Lily can I have a word can I have a private word?"

"Yeah sure what about?"

"A private word. Please." He said with growing frustration that Lily picked up on. She nodded her head before standing and following him out if the hall.

"So what d'you want?"

Snape hesitated before asking" Will you come to the ball with me?"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for all disclaimers

**Chapter 3**

Lily stared at him in unflattering disbelief. "Will I, who and, what now?"

Severus coloured slightly and sighed resignedly. "Will You Come To The Ball With … Me?"

"Yes, I thought that's what you said." Lily was in shock. Of course, what shocked her most was that she was considering accepting. Well, argued the logical – well she hoped it was the logical – part of her brain, she just didn't want Potter – James, must remember to call him James – to think she couldn't get a date. But this was Snivell … uhh … Snape … uhh …Severus. That was it. But a tiny voice in the back of her head, the annoying one she mostly cut out because it tended to sound a bit like Sirius Black, which was very scary in itself, said _You want to try and make him jealous, cause you like him. Really you like him._

Stricken that she was not only having a conversation with the voices in her head, but they were telling her she fancied James absolutely gorgeous – no annoying – Potter (which she didn't!), Lily knew her answer.

Severus was getting rather worried. Surely it didn't take this long to decide. It was a simple decision. Yes or No – _please _don't say no, I don't think my pride could take it.

Lily talked, though she felt like she was in a dream. Like she was watching herself smile and say, in a sweet-as-sugar voice, "Yeah, Severus. I'd _love _to go to the ball with you. Meet you in the entrance hall at, say, 7?"

While Sev (as he'd asked her to call him, Severus was so stuffy) and her organised the details, she missed Janet Renald and Gertie Higgs – the school's biggest gossips – walking past and hearing every word. Identical grins stole over their faces. The story would be common knowledge by curfew.

But neither Lily nor Severus saw the girls. They wouldn't know what hit them.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for all disclaimers

**Chapter 4**

Janet Regnald sat down in the Great Hall, next to her boyfriend, Frank Longbottom. "You'll never guess what I heard…" It took nearly all 'Frank's self control to not sigh at this point. Why was he dating her again? Oh yeah, cause Alice set them up. And he'd do anything for her. Even date this bore.

He turned back to the girl. "… And then Lily Evan's agreed to go to the ball with … get this … _Severus Snape_!" Well that was worth tuning in for, Frank thought as he half-listened to Janet tell him she was off to Divination. Very worth while.

Frank bumped into Remus outside Arithmancy. "Hey Remus, how's your mum?" Remus had been off last lesson to visit his sick mother, poor thing.

"Much better," Remus replied, feeling slightly guilty that he had to lie to so many people.

"Listen," Frank was putting his bag in the desk next to Remus'. They had no other friends in the class so they generally stuck together. "You know I'm dating Janet Regnold…"

"Why on Earth are you dating her?" Remus knew of the Hogwarts rumour mill. He'd been on a date with her once, Sirius thought Remus needed a date, and he'd never wish the experience on anyone else.

"Alice," was Frank's lovelorn response.

"Ahh," grinned Remus knowingly. "You do realise that if she asked you to jump off a cliff you'd do it?"

"Look," Frank blushed. "That's beside the point. Any way, this morning she was going on about who's taking who to the ball, and guess who she said is going together… **Snape and Evans**!"

Remus paled. "_Severus_ Snape and _Lily_ Evans?" At Frank's nod he paled even more. "James is going to flip."

Sirius was waiting for Remus outside Muggle Studies. All four marauders had originally taken the class, but Peter had to drop it because of problems he was having with the homework. James then dropped it when Lily did, at the end of the fourth year.

Remus finally appeared, looking decidedly pale and sickly. "What the hell happened mate?" Sirius was worried. Remus had only looked like this once before, when he'd thought the guys were going to abandon him because they found out he was a werewolf.

"Snape … Evans … ball … partners … James" After that Remus let out an impressive string of curse words, half of which Sirius didn't even know!

"What!"

"Snape is taking Evans to the ball." And with that, Remus fainted. Sirius soon followed suit.

They were found several minutes later by a shocked Professor McGonagall who levitated them to the hospital wing.

A couple of hours later, James and Peter turned up, curios as to why the two had suddenly ended up in the hospital wing from fainting. They were both presently asleep, but a quick _Aguamenti _soon fixed that.

After a lot of spluttering and curses, a surprising amount coming from the 'sensible' marauder, they got to the point of the matter.

"So why did you faint?" Peter asked curious as anything _(A/N I won't make him appear too much, so when he does, I won't make him appear too bad.)_

"Evans has a date for the ball," Remus finally managed to get out.

"And?" James pushed. Surely it wasn't _that _surprising. He had a date with a Ravenclaw called Amelia Bones. Nice girl, but a bit boring he felt.

"It's Snape!" Sirius yelled, causing the other two marauders to faint. All four marauders were in the hospital wing that night.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for all disclaimers

**Chapter 5**

The next morning James headed to the Head's Rooms. The dance was today and he wanted to be sure that Remus was right. He'd heard the full story from Sirius, but Janet had been known to lie on more than one occasion.

Like Lily would say yes to Snape, as if. _Oh please say she didn't turn me down for **Snape**. I would **DIE**._

"Hey, Lily." James politely smiled, trade-mark grin firmly in place. "So …"

"So what?" Lily snapped in return, not even looking up from her Transfiguration Homework.

"So… do you have a date for the ball?" James said, eyes firmly fixed on the floor.

Lily finally looked up, with the air of a cat smelling its prey. "You're not asking me out again are you Potter. I thought you were going with Amelia?"

James sighed and looked up. "No, I _am_ going with Amelia. I just wondered if you had a date."

Lily smirked, seeming to analyse the comment, before returning to her homework. "As a matter of fact I do have a date." _Please don't' ask who it's with, please._

"It wouldn't happen to be with one Severus Snape, would it?" inquired James, seeing his chance.

Lily jumped. "HOW DID YOU KNOW!" she yelled, accidentally knocking her homework to the ground.

James simply stared. It took him a while, but finally he choked out "You … you … you mean it's TRUE!"

"Not that it's any of your business," she primly replied, picking up her transfiguration homework and cleaning up some of the blotches she had made on it. This, though, was only a way so she didn't have to look in his eyes. She'd always loved his eyes. "But me and Sev _are_ going to the ball together, and," she added, picking up her watch. "I've got to start getting ready. So bye, James." And with that she ran, helter-skelter, up the stairs to her room before James could do more than blink.

"Well…" he thought as he sat on the couch, blinking excessively. "At least I know who she's taking."

He went up the stairs to his own room and began to get ready, in shock over the new developments in his love-life.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for all disclaimers

**Chapter 6**

James rubbed the gel into his hair; having put so much on that it appeared painted on to his head – like a Ken doll. Except, of course, that he didn't know what a Ken doll was, but that is beside the point. He combed it with a centre parting – looking like those old photos of little boys with Bryl Creem (which he also wouldn't recognise - but that is also not important (and that is the spelling my dad gave me. If you know a better one, or the correct one, don't hesitate to review and say)) – and it stayed that way for approximately six seconds before pinging back up into its usual mess. With a sigh, he dropped the comb on his bedside cabinet, straightened his robe collar and headed for the Ravenclaw Common Room.

One of the benefits of being a marauder and finding where all the Common Rooms were was that he never had to wait in an over-crowded Great Hall looking all over for some girl who he'd probably break up with in a week. Besides, he smirked as he walked; they seemed to think that he'd taken the care to learn where it was JUST for her. Girls, they thought they were the centre of the universe (Not meant in an offensive way. I'm a girl!). Like he would learn the passwords and locations of the common rooms, just for a date. Well maybe if it was a very pretty girl, like Evans. Except Evans – must remember to call her Lily, it really annoys her when I do that – was a Gryffindor, so he would already know.

Walking into the wall opposite the Ravenclaw Common Room drew him from his thoughts. Very happy that no one was outside to see him do that; he turned round, bright red, and cursed.

In her room, Lily was bored. She'd got dressed really quickly and had nothing to do. Her newly washed hair was flowing around her shoulders instead of in its usual ponytail and she was wearing make-up – something she never usually wore. She'd put on jewellery and her dress and shoes. She'd done all her homework, including two extra credit reports, and finished the book she was reading. The only thing she could think of was to go to the Head's Common Room – the Heads got their own dormitory (each!) and a shared Common Room – and see if there were any books.

She was meeting Sev in the Great Hall and she knew she had half an hour before she had to leave and it wasn't like she could go and change library books in these heels. She'd be laughed at the whole way.

Deciding that going over her essays was probably a good idea she walked into her room, but had a feeling something was out of place. It didn't take her long to realise her nightwear drawer was slightly open. When she opened it further, to close it, she realised that her favourite nightie, one she'd gotten a couple of years back and reminded her of one her mum used to wear when she was little, was missing. I didn't take her long to realise the culprit. The same guy who'd stolen her underwear last year. James Potter.

Completely forgetting that she had a date to keep, that she was wearing high-heels, a dress, make-up, more jewellery than she'd ever worn at one time etc, she ran around the school, looking for James. Unluckily for him, that didn't take her long.

* * *

AN: Sorry for taking so long to update. I'll update by next Wednesday 4 both my fics, and that is a big, fat, super-dooper promise, that I won't break. Hope u enjoyed the chap. Please review  



	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for all disclaimers

**Chapter 6**

"JAMES ANTHONY POTTER! How dare you? How dare you?" Lily didn't appear to notice that James towered over her and could probably knock her out with one punch. Her fury was so complete that she didn't even have her wand. Luckily for her, neither did he.

James was very confused. Lily Evans had just run up to him – looking practically edible, but that was beside the point – yelling incomprehensibly and jabbing him in the chest. If she would just say what he'd done then he could talk himself out of it and all would be right with the world. But Noooooooo, that would be too simple. And, even worse, she was starting to draw a crowd. James had a very vulnerable ego – what was left of it, anyway, after all of their fights – and this could just damage it beyond repair.

Lily's temper finally diffused enough to help her regain the ability of speaking so that the listener could actually _understand_ what she was saying. ""It was bad enough when you were stealing my underwear and I had to nick it back from under your pillow," James paled and all the listeners snickered, "but my nightwear? For Merlin's sake Potter, I thought you had at least a little bit of sense? NOW" Lily had returned to bellowing. She seemed to have decided this would make James tell her quickest. "WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CLOTHES! I AM ABSO-BLOODY-LUTELY FED UP OF THIS! JUST GIVE ME THE NIGHTIE OR AT LEAST TELL ME WHERE IT IS, OR YOU **WILL** REGRET IT!"

At this point Sirius Black ran round the corner. It must be said at this point that Sirius wasn't really paying attention to anyone but James. That was one of the biggest mistakes he ever made. "Oy, Jamsie-boy, look what I've got." Dangling from his hand was Lily missing nightdress.

But, unfortunately for Lily, she had found the wrong one missing. This one was one she'd been given by a bizarre aunt of hers and which had been owled to school – what kind of aunt gives their 17-year-old niece what can only be described as a Thomas the Tank Engine nightshirt for her birthday? – and forgotten to Owl home. This was not good.

The rather large crowd watching – which Sirius and Lily had just noticed – all snickered for two reasons. One, that nightshirt was really ridiculous, and two, Sirius was going to suffer. Lily was infamous for her temper, and Sirius was an infamous prankster who Lily'd never really liked. James shrank into the crowd. Whoever it was up there that did this to him, he was eternally grateful. He spotted his date for the evening and hurried to the Great Hall with her. He wasn't getting hit by any stray curses this time. Nuh-uh.

Lily turned to Sirius and growled, "You". Sirius swallowed heavily. This wasn't good. "I'm … going … to … KILL YOU!" This was _really, really _not good. "COME HERE!" Now was the time to run.

Sirius dropped the nightshirt and ran for his life. So much for Gryffindor being the house of bravery. All the more thankful that his date was a Hufflepuff, he legged it to their Common Room. Picking up his brunette date took less time than he thought and they got to the Great Hall in record time.

It took Lily about three seconds after Sirius ran to realise what she'd done. Getting into the nearest girls bathroom didn't take long. Luckily for her, she hadn't messed up any of her hair or make-up. Taking a deep breath, Lily went out into the hallway and headed towards where she was meeting Sev. At least she had a date, she thought, as she passed the statue of the one-eyed witch. That thing had always fascinated her.

Sev (sooooooo much quicker to write than Severus) was anxious. Lily was supposed to meet him five minutes ago and she was usually so punctual. He really hoped this wasn't just some really elaborate practical joke. That would RUIN him. Before he could think any more Lily came round the corner looking stunning. His jaw dropped, but he didn't notice until Lily poked it back up again. "You'll get flies if you leave it open," she smiled.

They entered the hall and their breaths caught in their throats. It was beautiful.


End file.
